I don't wish to discourage anyone (long term) from buying SI-10, but it is currently out of date and based on prior edition of the SI Brochure. I would like to recommend specific "free stuff" available from NIST that is well worth a look and likely to tide anyone over at least until the new edition of SI-10 is published. (Titles are slightly simplified). See the NIST Publications link. The descriptions and opinions are mine, "your mileage may vary."
SP330, The SI: The American version of the SI Brochure. It defines the SI. SP811, Guide for the Use of the SI: An exhaustive style guide on proper usage of the SI and excellent table of conversion factors. SP1038, Conversions for General Use: "SP811-Lite." If SP811 is too much, try this. A pretty good style guide and set of conversions. SP811 might be better for engineers and scientists. This is more readable and meets most needs. LC1137, Metric Style Guide: Even lighter, fewer conversions. I don't recommend this one, but maybe the style guide covers the basics for journalists. FedStd 376B, Preferred Metric Units: A reasonable SI introduction and style guide. Much of the book is specific recommendations of the form "if you are used to specifying (or measuring, using, etc) this, use this instead," and gives the conversion. Not much theory, but good, solid, practical advice for someone switching an enterprise from Customary to SI. My recommendation for a minimum SI library would be SP330, either SP811 or SP1038, plus FedStd 376B. There will be quite a bit of overlap, but each has a part the others don't. As free pdf downloads, the only cost is paper and ink to print. ________________________________ From: Patrick Moore <[email protected]> To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> Sent: Mon, April 26, 2010 12:23:25 PM Subject: [USMA:47280] Re: Invitation to Metric Volunteers IEEE/ASTM SI-10 is a significant publication. My employer publishes engineering books and always has a half dozen copies of the current issue of SI-10 for its editors. People looking for free stuff should start at <http://ts.nist.gov/WeightsAndMeasures/Metric/mpo_home.cfm>, where it says "Because of the importance of the SI (metric system) as an international standard, its use in product design, manufacturing, marketing, and labeling is essential for U.S. industry's success in the global marketplace. The NIST metric program encourages the use of the SI in all facets of education, including honing of worker skills." -- > From: "James R. Frysinger" <[email protected]> > Reply-To: <[email protected]> > Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:09:49 -0500 > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> > Subject: [USMA:47249] Re: Invitation to Metric Volunteers > > > Dear all, > > Gene has raised a good point. Volunteers should NOT come forward > expecting to get a fistful of "goodies". In an ideal these would be > free, as would all standards. However, costs accrue and must be paid by > the users of standards. > > The list of standards that I provided (quoted below) are copyrighted > standards sold by IEEE. The intent is for companies to buy copies for > their employees or for employees to purchase them as professional > references. > > SI 10 is a bit more complicated because the copyright is held jointly > with ASTM. We have been trying for some time to no avail to get SI 10 > released in PDF form to the public for free download. I will CERTAINLY > let you know if and when that occurs! > > Volunteer members of SCC 14 are given PDF copies of standards on an > as-needed basis. For example, if we are working on revising Std 1541 > they are given a copy to review, with the understanding that they will > not "pass it along". If they were to do so, they would be liable to > lawsuit. Since SI 10 is our seminal standard, all members of our > committee have been sent a copy of that in PDF form. Reviewers of IEEE > standards certainly need that to do their review work. Once standards > have been revised, participants might have red-lined versions in their > possession but they will not necessarily be given "smooth" copies of the > newly revised standards -- until it is once again time to revise them. > > I've scouted the online prices for SI 10-2002, which should be revised > within this next year. My results: > > -- ANSI Standards Store: > http://webstore.ansi.org/RecordDetail.aspx?sku=SI10-2002 > $74 (PDF?) > > -- ASTM > http://www.astm.org/Standards/SI10.htm > $65 (paper or PDF) > > -- IEEE > https://sbwsweb.ieee.org/ecustomercme_enu/start.swe?SWECmd=GotoView&src=0&Join > =n&SWEView=Catalog+View+%28eSales%29_Main_JournalMags_IEEE&WT.mc_id=u_shop&mem > _type=Customer&HideNew=N&SWEHo=sbwsweb.ieee.org&SWETS=1272052842 > $57 non-member, $45 IEEE-member (print on demand or PDF) > > Those who can wait might wish to do so until the 2010 (or 2011) version > of SI 10 is released. Or, perhaps by then we can get this made available > for free. My crystal ball is cloudy on the latter point. > > Jim > > [email protected] wrote: >> Jim, >>> ... >> You list an impressive group of standards documents which are intended (I >> assume) to guide Metric Volunteers. >> >> Most of these documents are for sale (some quite expensive). >> >> Is a set of these documents available *free of charge* to each Metric >> Volunteer? >> >>> * IEEE Standard Letter Symbols for Units of Measurement (SI >>> Customary Inch-Pound Units, and Certain Other Units), IEEE Std >>> 260.1-2004 (reaffirmed in 2010) >>> * American National Standard Mathematical Signs and Symbols for Use >>> in Physical Sciences and Technology, IEEE Std 260.3-1993 (reaffirmed 2006) >>> * American National Standard Letter Symbols and Abbreviations for >>> Quantities Used in Acoustics, IEEE Std 260.4-1996 (reaffirmed 2006) >>> * IEEE Standard Definitions for Selected Quantities, Units, and >>> Related Terms, with Special Attention to the International System of >>> Units (SI), IEEE Std 270-2006 >>> * IEEE Standard Letter Symbols for Quantities Used in Electrical >>> Science and Electrical Engineering, IEEE Std 280-1982 (extended pending >>> development of proposed standard 80000) >>> * IEEE Recommended Practice for Preferred Metric Units for Use in >>> Electrical and Electronics Science and Technology, IEEE Std 945-1984 >>> * IEEE Standard for Prefixes for Binary Multiples, IEEE Std >>> 1541-2002 (reaffirmed 2008) >>> * Standard for Quantities and Units, P80000 (in development) >>> * IEEE/ASTM Standard for Use of the International System of Units >>> (SI): The Modern Metric System, IEEE/ASTM SI 10-2002 (revision in progress) >>> ... >> >> >> >> > > -- > James R. Frysinger > 632 Stony Point Mountain Road > Doyle, TN 38559-3030 > > (C) 931.212.0267 > (H) 931.657.3107 > (F) 931.657.3108 >
